OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between the expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and the expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) as well as its effect on the development of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (ISCC). METHOD: Western blot was used to detect ERK1/2 protein expression, meanwhile, the change of ERK1/2 activity was examined to measure its efficiency of phosphate transferase in 40 LSCC. Immunohistochemistry was applied to detect uPA protein expression. The correlation of each factor with relevant clinical factor was statistically analyzed. RESULT: Expression of ERK1/2 showed a positive linear correlation (P < 0.05). Neither ERK1 nor ERK2 expression was significantly related to T-grades, histological classes and cervical lymph node status. Neither T-grades, nor histological classes was significantly related to ERK1/2 activity or uPA protein expression. There was significant correlation between ERK1/2 activity and cervical lymph node status and between uPA protein expression and cervical lymph node status (P < 0.05). ERK1/2 protein expression was correlated with neither ERK1/2 activity nor uPA protein expression, but there was a significant positive linear association between ERK1/2 activity and uPA protein expression (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Abnormal activation of ERK may play an important role in cervical lymph node metastasis of LSCC by up-regulation of uPA expression.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 ; metabolism ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Staging ; Up-Regulation ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; metabolism